Flail Mower Let's talk flail mowers

[whirly]

I don't know why not.

It uses the standard open-ended implement mounting pins. I know I've seen some pins that were a Cat2 pin with a Cat1 threaded section, I even think Agri-supply sells some. Those would bolt right on.

You might have to mod the top link as the Caroni yoke is the right width for a Cat1 link (unless Cat1 & Cat2 are the same width, I don't know).

The standard spacing for Cat1 lift arms is 26", the standard for Cat2 is 32" but of course they have quite a bit of swing.

Also the way the Caroni is made, there are two pin positions for changing the offset (about 7"). I measured mine & if you used the two outer pin positions your pin spacing would be around 33".

Of course I've not tried it since I don't have a Cat2 tractor handy.

Hope that helps.

TD

Thank you - Good info

I realized after I posted that, that your top link wouldn't be centered if you used the two outer mounting points.

No sweat - it was a "thinking out of the box" thing which is much appreciated.

The issue is more of having the extendable/moveable unthreaded lengths and correct eye bearing bushings
width for the top link spacing or the slot.

Thank you - I forgot about the availability of bushings to downsize to the cat 1 bolt size.

 

[aaron14011]

After I've read most of the posts in the section I decided that a flail mower is a must have item.

I've been looking at used ones and the one below is a possibility. My question is are the knives that are on it are smooth cut right? I mostly need the machine to mow a 25 acre field once a year to keep the brush down. I have a bush hog for the thick stuff, but I can I switch the knives over to rough cut? (one time only of course) I called flailmaster.com and talked to them and their reply, from the lady that I talked to, was "probably". Is the 25a rotor balanced for both sets? And what would happen to the knives if I used them for heavy cutting? I have a JD 990; think 35 pto hp.
Thanks
-Aaron

 

[IslandTractor]

Looks like a nice mower. I'd suggest using the existing knives if you are mowing at least once per year. Should do fine even though those are technically fine cut blades.

 

[leonz]

Hello aaron14011,

The flail mower you are
examining has what is
referred to as a scoop knive.

The scoop knives are stamped
bent and formed to create
their scoop shape and the folded
end which is mounted on the
D ring using a U plate to secure
the D ring in some models


Another example using the scoop
knive is the Caroni Flail Mower
using the P rotor wherein the
scoop knive is secure using a
hardened steel shackle and
secured with a bolt and nut.

The unit you are examining
apparently uses a D ring that
is bent into the weldment to
secure the scoop knive to the
rotor.


The scoop shape with the wide
base slicing edge permits the
flail mower to have fewer knives
mounted on the rotor and also create
a full width of cut/slice using a rotor
with overlapping knive edges creating
a nice finish turf.


The rotor is balanced for the scoop knives.
You can use a hardened scoop knive also as long it
is the proper scoop knive and the hardened scoop
knives are used to replace the entire existing number of
scoop knives on the flail mower rotor if desired.

If you use the existing knives on the flail mower
for the mowing you should plan on having identical
spares to replace the ones that become damaged
to maintain a balanced rotor

You need to have spare D rings and U plates as
well as nylock nuts and hardened bolts for the
U plates.


As Island tractor has said there is no reason you
cannot use the mower once a year for mowing.


My father used a newer JD25A with a 7 foot cut using
the Y blade grass slicers and I wish he had not sold
it as it was a perfect turf mower.

 

[bruceha2000]

Good day all,
Having read ALL 109 pages, interesting reading. I think a flail would be a good choice and I thank you all for this long and thoughtful discussion.
Background:
- Buying 26 acres including house and 2 barns.
- ~ 21 acres are woods and wetland
- Lawn probably only 1/2 acre. The rest is pasture, currently 'mowed' by 2 horses and a pony.
- Current owner has a Kubota of some nature with a MMM and what a mess it leaves when the grass gets tall (and it did when his tractor was down for 2 weeks just before I was there last). Also some scalping, the lawn area is a bit bumpy.
- Reason for buying property: Daughter has 24x7x365 '8' on a 10 point scale headache with migraines on top. Loud noises BAD, Man made fragrances (like the neighbor's dryer sheets) BAD. So trying to get her out of civilization.

Will need to remove snow from a fairly large area and sometimes a snowfall might be a foot over night. Not shoveling THAT. Plus, I figure to retire in a few years and want to make some agricultural use of the property. I can't just sit on my backside and get old!! There will be post holes to dig, fields to turn and perhaps some orchard trees and berries, maybe some bee hives.

A LITTLE bit of several things, spread out the work over the growing season. So I figure, rather than buy a big snow blower now and a riding mower in the spring with more dedicated machines as time goes by, a tractor (now THERE is another BIG decision) with accessories would be a better long term choice and get the jobs done faster as well.

I was originally thinking ganged reel mowers since they handle uneven terrain well (several short mowers) and are almost silent but they are picky about the height of the grass and sharpening 5 to 7 sets could be an all week affair and that is assuming none of the blades gets damaged. I'm not particularly picky about how smooth the lawn is, in fact, our tiny current lawn has more weeds than grass. Thus the appeal of the flail. Caveat: I haven't walked the fields so I don't know how rocky they might be. Being Vermont, where we grow rocks as a winter crop, there could be many.

The questions: Some have mentioned that flails are quieter than rotaries but still need hearing protection.
- How loud are the two types?
- And is the pitch of a flail different than that of a rotary? A lower pitched (not Harley low!) would be better than a high pitched whine like that of push rotary mowers (gas or electric).

And while this belongs elsewhere, I might as well ask here:
Just how loud are diesel tractors? I'm thinking something the size of the JD 2000 Compact series might be about right for this property. Can you muffle them to be quieter when mowing near the house?

Thanks a ton,
Bruce

 

[leonz]

About the questions:

The flail mower creates wind noise under
the flail mower shroud due to the nature
of the design as the flail mower rotor is
turning at a much higher speed of rotation
than a rotary cutter which uses a right angle
one to one gearbox.

The high speed of rotation that is created
by the V belt drive via the right angle
gear box and cross shaft for the flail rotor
creates a the pressure gradient which in
turn creates a huge amount of airflow
under the flail mowers shroud.

A rotary cutter will make much more noise
due to the actual open design of the brush
cutters deck and the wide open mower entry
and discharge and as result the more brush it
encounters the greater the noise for the models
for sale today.

The only minus about the current smaller
flail mowers of all manufacturers is that
they do not have air paddles mounted on
a piano hinge welded to the flail mower rotor
to create the additional pressure gradient
that would aid in slicing both heavy brush
and good grass on sod.

Flail chopper shredders do not have an issue
with this as the flail shredders have very wide
scoop knives which are five inches or more wide.

You want to wear hearing production as
matter of principal in any case as the
tractor whether is gas or diesel will be
making a lot of noise on its own as you
will not have a cab tractor unless you
want one of course.

A gas or diesel tractor will make more noise
than a flail mower as the mower shroud
which surrounds the flail mower rotor
is covered completely except for the narrow
entry and exit slots of the shroud which
allows the entrance of the material to be
sliced/shredded.


Diesel and gas tractors of all sizes have
different noise reduction requirements
per the E.P.A., and none of them are
muffled as well as an automobile which
has a fiber glass packed type of muffler.


As long as you have good hearing protection
of thirty one to three decible reduction you
will be fine.


The type of flail mower knive configuration
whether it is a scoop knive or grass slicer or
whether it uses a shackle mounted grass slicer
or scoop knive is a decision that only you and
you alone can make.



_________________________________________________________________
once you go flail you never go back:thumbsup::licking::drool:

 

[beppington]

- How loud are the two types?
- And is the pitch of a flail different than that of a rotary? A lower pitched (not Harley low!) would be better than a high pitched whine like that of push rotary mowers (gas or electric).

I really don't notice much sound difference between flail & rotary cutter. I think the tractor's engine sound/noise is louder than either of them. But I should say, I do always wear those little ear plugs. I still hear everything, just not as loudly.

And while this belongs elsewhere, I might as well ask here: Just how loud are diesel tractors?

Not all that loud, but I still prefer to wear ear plugs.

Can you muffle them to be quieter when mowing near the house?

Not that I'm aware of, but maybe someone else will answer otherwise ... ?

 

[OregonFarmer]

Good day all,
Having read ALL 109 pages, interesting reading. I think a flail would be a good choice and I thank you all for this long and thoughtful discussion.
Background:
- Buying 26 acres including house and 2 barns.
- Reason for buying property: Daughter has 24x7x365 '8' on a 10 point scale headache with migraines on top. Loud noises BAD, Man made fragrances (like the neighbor's dryer sheets) BAD. So trying to get her out of civilization.

Will need to remove snow from a fairly large area and sometimes a snowfall might be a foot over night. Not shoveling THAT. Plus, I figure to retire in a few years and want to make some agricultural use of the property. I can't just sit on my backside and get old!! There will be post holes to dig, fields to turn and perhaps some orchard trees and berries, maybe some bee hives.

The questions: Some have mentioned that flails are quieter than rotaries but still need hearing protection.
- How loud are the two types?
- And is the pitch of a flail different than that of a rotary? A lower pitched (not Harley low!) would be better than a high pitched whine like that of push rotary mowers (gas or electric).

And while this belongs elsewhere, I might as well ask here:
Just how loud are diesel tractors? I'm thinking something the size of the JD 2000 Compact series might be about right for this property. Can you muffle them to be quieter when mowing near the house?

Thanks a ton,
Bruce

I love my flail but seriously given your daughter's condition, why not sheep instead of a mower? I know they mow a lot back in New England (when it is not flooding) and sheep are so peaceful and quiet. And you have barns. Just a thought. If you must mow, then both flails and rotary mowers make a fair amount of droning sounds, right there with the diesel tractor. If there is a pitch that causes less headaches, be sure to try out the equipment with her around or on the place.

- Somewhere in Oregon.

 

[bruceha2000]

Thanks for the comments!

About those sheep. Could be a good idea but they would cost more than the mower in the long run. You see this same daughter has a thing about eating any animal, or part there of. She won't eat jello because of the gelatin. We even have to take ants and spiders (which she despises) out of the house. She could almost be a Jain, but since she eats plants, she isn't quite there. Thus we can only have animals that are relatively cheap to buy and maintain and provide something of value (such as chickens) that doesn't require killing the animal. We can't even breed the sheep for lambs. We would have to feed the sheep ~7 months of the year, deal with the vet bills and raw wool isn't worth all that much. I thought maybe the horses could mow the lawn but apparently they would eat too much 'new green' grass and get sick.

I was thinking maybe a few alpacas since their fiber is more valuable and they all nicely poop in a communal pile rather than where ever they happen to be standing. I gather they are not overly fussy about what they eat either and are efficient (apparently cost about the much in food a month as a dog, size unspecified but I guess a medium to large).

However, the alpaca thing looks to be more of a Ponzi scheme than a business. They sell for a ridiculous amount of money, a 'cheap' one is a pet/fiber (not a great breeder) and they go for $500 and up. The only way to make money (or even cover your costs) is to breed them so you can sell the babies/breeders for a ridiculous amount of money to someone who wants to breed them so they can sell the babies/breeders to someone ........ There has to be a lack of those 'someones' at some point in time and it all crashes down on the most recent 'someones'.

Mods - Feel free to excise the non flail mower part and stick is somewhere else if there is a place. Didn't mean to move the thread from flail mowers to live mowers

 

[CT Griz]

I wanted to say thank you for all the great posts on this topic:thumbsup:. I was really zeroing on a finish mower until I stumbled onto this topic. Never thought a flail would be the right choice or price. I just ordered a TM1900BSC from AgriSupply today for my new LS 4047H. I couldn't help but still buy a heavy rotory mower, just nothing like dropping that bad boy on some thick brush around our ponds.